Another day, another game from my childhood that was more mediocre than I remember it mastered. Figured it was time for a genre switch up and to try something different! Also, while certainly not as massive a milestone as others, hey, halfway to five digits!

# The Sims 2: Castaway

**PS2 | Survival/Adventure**  
*EA Redwood Shores - 2007*

Another one of the 2000's attempts to make The Sims beyond just a life simulator, Castaway ditches to omnipresent angle, and instead tasks you with controlling Sims directly to explore, gather and thrive on a deserted island, all while trying to find a way to leave the archipelago, or discover the islands secrets.

While the description sounds fanciful at first, the reality is far more mundane. While a marriage of survival gameplay crossed with the franchises focus on customisation and management of needs sounds like it would naturally click and make for a fun experience, the resulting game instead brings out the worst in both aspects.

For fans of survival games, this toothless facimile of the genre they enjoy will satisfy barely if at all. There is no danger to you beyond that of not keeping your sims properly satisfied, and with half of said needs being single interactions, the base building aspects of the game feeling shallow and uninteresting, and a lack of meaningful challenge beyond knowing where to find what you need, it falls short.

For fans of the Sims series, while it fares better to some extent, it still doesn't fare well. This is first and foremost a Sims game first, however the shift to playing as your sim here doesn't really facilitate anything interesting. A lack of options for customisation, a woeful housing system that can only really consistently cover the bare basics and relations/connects that only really serve a basic gameplay function, while I am certainly not personally invested in the series, I can only imagine those that are would find little fun.

Add in the fact that the game can take quite a while to process tasks, even when emulated, and the length being stretched out by the nature of some of the tasks alone, there really isn't much reason to come back to this game, unless you're on that ever present grind for some cheevo's...

# Achievement Set

*Created by Brandovsky, kiwibasket & KingS1zzle*  
**73 Cheevo's // 243 Points**

While in general, I'd prefer to have much more to talk about in regards to achievement sets, since they're what we're all here for, there really isn't much to say here. The set is effectively a translation of the game's goals system into achievement form, meaning any complaint I have with the achievements here are more with the game than they are with the devs. They're all **mostly** simple tasks that aren't going to bust anyone's balls, and effectively act as a second bonus checklist for the games objectives.

That in of itself I'd argue is a complaint as well, it's a very passive set that doesn't give you the challenge to play differently, or even flag when you are able to perform actions beyond the scope of the game's missions. Two easy examples are triggering an easter egg with Aliens, or rebuilding an optional bridge to make transit less taxing, but then again I'm not entirely sure of the particulars of tracking PS2 games yet, so it may be limitation for all I know.

But I'd argue this is the first real, middle of the road set I've completed, knows what it's about, offers a tracker, the end. Servicable, which honestly is more than the game deserves.

# Awards

**Most Loved Achievement** \- *Cheat Gnomed! (Activate Cheat Mode / Cheevo disable warning)*  
Honestly this is mainly here because I enjoy the flavour of flagging cheating disables the set by literally making an achievement to activate it. When flavour gets the fave slot though, oof.

**Most Hated Achievement** \- *Rocking the Shell (Create a Shell Vest)*  
An end game objective that took me at least an hour if not more. And why? Because I had to reload an end game area at least a good several dozen times, all to spawn in five rare shells.

**Most Difficult Achievement** \- *Rocking the Shell (Create a Shell Vest)*  
Tedium for the sake of tedium. These objectives are not hard, so the one that chews up the most time wins this "prestigious" title. One day I'll have a most difficult not be a most hated.

**Game Rating** \- *Mediocre (3)*  
Genuinely a slog from start to finish, where while mostly playable, you'll come out with little in the department of fun. Bearable with a good YouTube documentary playing in the background, but certainly wouldn't come to the game for fun. Thank the lord the game has an in built accelerator function at least.

**Set Rating** \- *Fine (5)*  
It exists. Doesn't really detract from the game, doesn't enhance in, just transaltes in game tasks into achievement form with some minor extra's for having a max size crew. It aight.

# Closing Thoughts

Another game I'll likely never return to, where a younger self found the freedom and what at the time felt like expansive areas a fun change of pace, coming back with a more critical eye reveals that this game is more or less a busywork simulator. Personally, unless you have some personal nostalgia with the game, would highly suggest not going for the set. But certainly not a painful experience at least, just, boring.



Mastery #8 - The Sims 2: Castaway [PS2] + 5k Points!